Bay's Books

Title: The Lucky One

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Original Published Date: 2008

Pages: 291

Edition Language: English

Format: Ebook

Category: Contemporary, Romance, Chick-lit,

Summary: Marine officer Logan Thibault found one day a photograph of a young woman in the sand of Kuwait with the message to "keep safe." He tried to find its owner, but after a while he just kept it to himself without knowing why. After surviving dangerous events in the Iraq war the photo becomes his own personal lucky charm. 

Now he has quit the Marines and are looking for the woman who he owe his life. He starts walking all the way from Colorado to North Carolina to meet Beth, a single divorced mother living with her ten-year-old son and grandma at a dog kennel. 

Without realizing it Logan finds that Beth might be the woman for her, but what he doesn't know is how to bring up the photo and soon threatens to tear them apart.

Review: As the title might imply I had my disappointment in the past. I read A Walk to Remember, but I found it a bit... Nah. The Lucky One is not nah! 

I was surprised how different this book was, both in style and quality - I am wondering if all his novels shift style or if it because he developed a lot from his 3rd book to 14th book. 

What is the same in both books is that it somehow seems real and authentic, even though I know it is not. The romance goes slow and not cheesy. The characters feel real, except for some perfections.

I went on and on at goodreads how it annoyed me that Logan doesn't peek at some girls who went bathing nude at a lake - it just seemed a bit too noble and perfect. Wouldn't it be perfectly normal having a peek, enjoy it for a moment and then walk away.

Well... I will not going on and on about here too! It even isn't important in the book, just a slight detail, but it annoyed me. Enough about that!

I like Logan, though, he is a down-to-earth, not a big talker and got a masculine attitude a girl like me kinda like a lot. Beth is a sweet woman, kinda unoriginal, but its okay here. This is not a revolutionary epic novel - just a sweet romance for someone sitting in her PJ.

And if I am not the only person in this situation, please, let me recommend this to you! And I know, for sure, I am thankful to have giving Nicholas Sparks a chance and I am might be a step closer to be a Sparks-fan

Title: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Author: Lewis Caroll

Original Published Date: 1865

Pages: 106

Edition Language: English

Format: Hardback

Category: Children's, Classic, Fantasy,

Review: Like Peter Pan, I do not think a summary will be needed here. If I am wrong, it is about a little girl called Alice who falls down a rabbit hole and into Wonderland, which is a crazy odd place, where animal talks and wear waistcoats, hatters are mad, food shrink and enlarge people, cats grin strangely and disappear, and the Queen is a playing card and loves to behead everyone.

Sounds confusing? Well, for Alice it was! It is nonsense and it is awesome! Alice cried: "Curiouser and curiouser," and indeed it was. 

What I found pleasing was that there are many segments I remembered from the Disney movie (which is my 2nd favorite Disney) and others I didn't, so I felt curious reading the book.

I enjoyed the language. I love delicate English and so indeed this was. A big joy reading it! Funny book. Love the nonsense it has all over, and not having English as my born language, some of the gibberish verses and dialogues puzzled me. I was trying to find its meaning like Alice, and who am I kidding? It is the non-sense that makes it so funny! I mean... Why is a raven like a writing desk? What the hell had that man eaten when he combined ravens and writing desk and then come up with the answer: No idea... I think it is funny. And the weird characters - there are no logic in any of it and that is what makes it so wonderfully weird and funny. I believe the real Wonderland must be in Caroll's head.

I have a big minus though! The illustrator really made Alice look really, really scary! What is wrong with her eyes? She looks so evil. I am not kidding. But I guess I cannot blame the author for having creepy illustrations and it is not like it ruined the book or anything... But come on! Wouldn't this give you nightmares?

No, this is not why I am not giving it the last half star. Even though I liked it very much and have almost only good words for it, there were still some few short passages where I became a little... impatient, like "Yes, move on to the funny part, please!". It was not many times, like Peter Pan, but I do not want to have that feeling, when I am reading a book. It will be "only" 4,5 stars!

Title: Othello

Author: William Shakespeare 

Original Published Date: 1603

Pages: 314

Edition Language: Danish

Format: Ebook

Category: Play, Tragedy, Romance, Drama, Classic,

I would guess it is the fewest Danes who have read even a single Shakespeare-play in their life. Othello is my second and my first were Romeo and Juliet, obviously, which was quite an experience that I hadn't foreseen. What occurred to me was, the paradox of Shakespeare, being the master of romance, actually is really perverted. And I love that paradox. It seems to me to be hilarious and it made me really appreciating Romeo and Juliet more than I had thought. 

Well, this isn't about Romeo and Juliet but about Othello. I didn't find Othello as funny as the other, although I do rather like the plot in Othello better.

The antagonist Iago searching for vendetta for Othello his general. Manipulating Othello to believe his new-wed wife is cheating on him and letting the venom of jealousy spread through the veins of Othello.

Jealousy and manipulation are primarily great topics in this play and if you ask me, both topics are classic. Have we not all tried jealousy and manipulation in our life? Be the one doing it and/or the one receiving it? 

Iago is my favorite character and maybe my all-time favorite antagonist (I cannot remember anyone else at the moment at least). I liked the sly simple character. Only through mono- and dialogues I have a clear image of Iago in my mind and that is what I love about plays. So little is needed. 

I decided on give Othello the same rate I gave Romeo and Juliet which is 4 stars. Even though I liked this plot better I found the other one hysterically funny! So I would say it is a tide. 

P.S. And yes, I know I loose a lot of Shakespeare's charm reading it in Danish, but I mean come on! Is there even any British people who clearly understands the man? And then a foreigner? No, I don't think so!

This is a very special book to me and it was even a coincidence I bought this.

I was at this cafe where they also sold a few used books. This one was among them. I took the book, had a vague idea that I knew the title from somewhere, I read the blurb and I bourght the book. I sat in the café and read. I remember it was raining outside and I was waiting for everyone to be done at their written exams so I could get my computer back. Exhausted, wet and just finished a terrible exam - this book was a good way to forget your bad mood.

I started reading this in June last year. 

The thing is with this book that it is very, very, very long and every sentence is important. Jung Chang can explain something important about the government in one sentence and you need to know this information to understand the rest she talks about. Sometimes she talks about something and then she interleave something else - also with one sentence. I don't know how to explain, but I feel uncomfortable with not reading every sentence with extra effort. 

That sounds boring, right? Forget it! Despise what I said this book isn't boring! 

I spent the next two months reading what I've reached, which is about 1/3 of the book. What I liked was, that when I read a heavy book like this, I feel a need of change and read another (and easier) book. Every time I do that I am certain that the book I leave will end at the on-hold pile. I didn't do it with this. I left it for a week, maybe two and then just continued were I left. It kept keeping me interested and want to read it again.

That said I have now for almost a half year not touched the book. And that makes me sad. I just had too much on mind and then it was long ago I read it the last time - and to be fair I was too focused on reaching my reading challenge for 2014 and I knew that if I started reading this I wouldn't make it. Now a new year has started. I have already reached my goal for January and now I have made a decision:

Addition to reading challenge 2015: Finish Wild Swans.

Yes, that is right. I will have it as a goal to finish this one. I will read it alongside with my other books, because I know it will take me a very long time to be done, but it is so worth it!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Title: Peter Pan (Peter and Wendy)

Author: J.M. Barrie

Original Published Date: 1911

Pages: 260 

Edition Language: English

Format: Ebook

Category: Children's, Classic, Fantasy,

Review: I do not think there will be any need of a summary. It is the tale we all know, thanks to Walt Disney Studios, about the Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up. First made into a play, later the novel I read and then of course movies. 

I have always loved the Disney movie and I normally love old English children's classic, but not this time.

I don't know... Maybe I wasn't so much in the mood of it as I thought I was. I only know that in many parts of the book I just wanted it to end. I liked the beginning and I liked some passages (e.g. in the mermaid's lagoon), but else... no.

Peter is a bit annoying and John and Michael are vague characters.

Some parts were ... confusing. Maybe because it isn't my own language and I didn't concentrate, but on the other hand - had it been more exciting I would have made a bigger effort. 

But I won't deny the plot was original and if I was any younger I might have liked Peter even more. But right now I just didn't feel the magic...

Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Original Published Date: 2009

Pages: 403

Edition Language: Danish

Format: Hardback

Category: Historical Fiction, Cultural, Book Club,

Summary: (from Goodreads) Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town...

Review: We've all tried it. There is being a big fuss about a book - everyone recommends it to you, but of some unknown reason you really don't want to read it. When you finally read it you can either A) for some unknown reason be right about your intuition and hate it. Or B) Have your mind blown away because... Oh... MY GOD!

Guess which option I had? Yes, option B! Oh my God that was a good book. Not a favorite, which recalls I know I want to reread it again a lot - no, this is a book you read one time and maybe another after 10 years, but do not believe it makes it any less good!

Some books are just some you only read once, but have all the qualities the favorites have except the need to read it again.

The Help was one of the most exciting, well-worked, charismatic, realistic, heart-warming, well-written book I have read.

Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter are all wonderful main characters and have all very different personalities. Minny being the stereotype of a sassy Afro-american woman. Aibileen being down-to-earth and wise. And then there is Miss Skeeter. Unlike Aibileen and Minny she is white. Unlike the other white women she is single, educated and rebellious. As a contrast to Miss Skeeter we have Miss Hilly - the antagonist in this book. She is a typical stereotype of a Southern white woman - in the bad way. 

I loved every character, even Miss Hilly because she is so annoying and awful in a great way. I love hating her! My favorite character are Aibileen. I believe she has the biggest heart in the whole book. And I love what is going on her mind. She is one of those characters who have no fault and it is not annoying, because at the same time she is not perfect. She isn't a saint! 

All characters are great, the writing style is simple but great and the plot is great!

I hate not knowing things. I am biiig on spoilers. But this time I forced myself to endure it. And holy moly there are many hints of secrets! There's the secret of what happened to Constantine, Minny's Terrible Awful and the secret of miss Celia. God they annoyed me from not knowing! But that just made it more exciting and the surprises there were throughout the story - brilliant! 

It is a dark topic, but I do not see the book as being dark. On the contrary I found it heart-warming and sad some times (I cried three times!). 

What I really liked was that it wasn't easy for miss Skeeter to write the book. It wasn't like "alright after a month of despair we finally find a way and the book is written within three months! Hallelujah!" It actually took time a realistic amount of time and it took really long time before it started to get smooth and then it didn't anyway. I like that. And I like that things like president Kennedy's death, Martin Luther King's speech and the Space Commander invention (the first wireless remote control) are mentioned in the book, so it feels more real. 

It is rarely I can't pinpoint some bad qualities of a book, but I can't. I had one, but Stockett took care of my problem further in the book. I was like "wauw-great-service". 

Really liked it and loved it. I would recommend it to everyone! I almost wanted to hit my head for not follow others recommendation of it. I feel so stupid now.

Title: Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Original Published Date: 2006

Pages: 352

Edition Language: Danish

Format: Paperback

Category: Historical Fiction, Romance, Cultural, Book Club,

January has begun and so has my reading challenge. 

The two categories of January was historical fiction and cultural. January is the start of a new year, so I am celebrating it by reading a book about the past. 

Water for Elephants is my historical book. I know it is also a bit cultural, but I am saving that category for later.

I have read some of the book some years before but, as often, it ended as one of my on-hold books. Which I don't understand because it is a really well written book. It is detailed and it is authentic. I feel with Jacob, the main character and the narrator, when he is old. And I want to read more and more. When you read it, you know the author Sara Gruen has done her research! 

I would keep reading if it wasn't because it is 5:25 in the morning!

Title: Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment

Author: Phil Zuckerman

Original Publish Date: 2008

Pages: 228

Edition language: Danish

Format: Paperback

Category: Non Fiction, Religion, Atheism, Sociology, Philosophy

My brother is studying Religion at Copenhagen University and once he had brought some of his books from his studies when he visited us. Society without God was one of them. I was caught by the title and the blurb. The book is a social study from an American's point of view of the Swedish and (mostly) the Danish need of religion - or lack of the same. Being a Dane and being a atheist I got curious and looked a bit in it.

This book is not hard to read and understand! It is very simple written without any hard terms. I do although have ambivalent feelings about that. Not so much the lack of terms but Zuckerman's argumentation annoys me. 

First of all, being a scientific book as it is, it annoys me how many non-relevant anecdotes Zuckerman mention's. I mean, for good sake! I do not care how your trip with the bus went! You may have come up with some philosophic questions while having the trip, but does the trip have to be described in any little detail!

Second of all, his research is based some statics (will not blame those) and on 150 1-2 hour long interviews with people he knew and people who knew those he knew. 30-and-something were Swedes, the rest (120!) were Danish. I know Denmark and Sweden are not big countries (Denmark 5,4 million, Sweden 9 million), but still! That is not enough to apply the same standards to all! Especially not the Swedes! I am just saying. 

Third of all, Zuckerman's argumentation is generally... vague. No other words need to be described.

So that is my scientific opinion of this book. That said, I did find the book interesting reading. It did start some thoughts in my head, because his experiences with Danes believes are not quite the same as my experiences. In the book there are some excerpts from some of his interviews and I started to imagine what I would answer. So I have been philosophizing for a while and I do like it when I can't stop thinking about a book.

But still sometime Zuckermans conclusions annoyed me. Again I must say I am ambivalent with this book. What do you do? You give it a middle rating! 

Happy New Year!

... or Happy New Year when we get to that!

The year 2014 has almost past and I would like to celebrate the top 10 reading experiences.

I was going for 5, because it seemed a bit silly to choose 1/3 part of the books I have read this year, but I couldn't do that! It was hard to choose between my little darlings! It was hard enough to put a number on them. 

It might not be in accordance with stars I gave them, but this is not the top 10 best books, this is the top 10 reading experiences - is there a difference? Yes, there is!

And here they are...

#10

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5 stars - Daughter of Smoke and Bone written by Laini Taylor in 2011.

#1 in the series of the same name.

I am beginning to be a bit tired of YA paranormal romances - they are getting weirder and weirder, trying to make it original. I, however, always wanted to read this one because I love the cover. Very pretty. One day it was for sale for the silly price of about 10 American dollars (very, very cheap in Denmark - not kidding!), so I bought it, had it on my shelf for a while and then gave it a go. 

It is, as I predicted, weird... but I liked it. Strangely enough.

I like the characters Kauro and Akiva (although it took some time to like Akiva, the hero in this book). I remember that I not only cried to this book - I wept - I am not the crying type, so for that at least that should give it a place on the list!

#9

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4½ stars - A Conspiracy of Faith (original titel: Flaskepost fra P) written by Jussi Adler- Olsen in 2009.

#3 in the series Department Q.

Finished this not long ago and, although, my earlier review I wrote that I missed a big plot twist, I still gave it 4½ star and that is because I found it funny - I laughed out loud several times - exciting so my heart some times skipped a beat and horrifying in the good way. Just as the crying-thing, I do not get goosebumps of excitement when I am reading, so again, this deserve to be on the list.

#8

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5 stars - Divergent written by Veronica Roth in 2011. 

#1 in the series of the same name.

As much I am tired of YA paranormal romances, as much I love YA dystopia (doesn't make sense - does it?), but I am afraid dystopia books are beginning to follow the same pattern as the others. Getting weirder and weirder just to be original. Therefore it took a lot of time and stubbornness before I began this one, but everyone said it was great. Then came the movie and I liked that, so I tried. And I am glad!

Tris is not a crybaby as all the other heroine. She's a kick-ass! I like the war-theme and the action. A nice change. I couldn't lay it down, even though I just had seen the movie and therefore knew what will happen. I liked there where some differences with the movie - it is never fun if it is an exact copy. 

I am definitely going to read the series and it may be one of my new favorites. I don't think it is going to be worse and the first book will be the only good (I have that feeling with a lot of book series)

Again, this on deserve a spot on the list.

#7

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5 stars - The Rosie Project written by Graeme Simsion in 2013.

#1 in the series Don Tillman.

I have hardly ever laughed so much, than I did when I read this book! Ever watched the TV series Big Bang Theory? There is a character named Sheldon Cooper, who is a genius and the price for that is his lack of social knowledge. The main protagonist Don Tillman is a little bit like him. I guess the biggest difference about those two is that Don is not asexual. 

It is heartwarming romance without being corny and it is really, really funny! I mean, come on! The man makes a survey to found candidates for "project wife" - sophisticated, healthy and just as OCD as himself. And that is clearly not the result he gets!

I hope they will make it to a movie and I would buy it! I have shelfed it as one of my favorites. It clearly belongs to the list!

#6

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4½ stars - Castle in the Air written by Diana Wynne Jones in 1990.

#2 in the series Howl's Moving Castle.

A thing I miss, with all those new fantasy novels, is the good old "Once upon a time"-fantasies. Not meaning the words should be included, but the feeling that what you read is a true fairy-tale story. I watched the anime movie Howl's Moving Castle and loved it like everybody else. I read the first book - I fell even harder. Now after I finished the second - I still just as much in love.

I wrote this in a review on my goodreads-account:

"It may not feel like a sequel, but fear not! Our beloved Howl, Calcifer and Sophie are all in it, and more than we think! The language is beautiful and witty, and the plot twist is great!" 

As said, it may not feel like a sequel; because the settings and the main characters are not the same as the first book, but don't let it fool you. It is a sequel!

Why is Castle in the Air higher up on the list, than some of the books I gave more stars? Because I judged the book after my opinion of Howl's Moving Castle, which I gave a higher rate. Is the sequel just as good as the first? Of course not! Therefore I could "only" give it 4½ star. But it is better than The Rosie Project. 

If I should compare my ratings with all my other ratings, I would need a scale from at least 1-100.

#5

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5 stars - The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925.

I really love the writing style of this book. It is delicate and poetic. I feel with Gatsby and understand the narrator Nick. I haaaate Daisy. Cannot see what so great about her, but thanks to the progress of the book I don't feel misplaced by hating her. 

What I really like is the message in the book. American Dream is dead. Gatsby says once: "Her voice is full of money" and I read this from an analysis of the quote:

"the point is that money isn't something you can separate from the body. If you're born with money, you're actually born with money. That's why everyone knows Gatsby's faking it."

I like to read a book I can analyze until I faint of exhaustion.

That is why this book gets to be my number 5.

#4

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5 stars - The Perks of Being a Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky in 1999.

Just like I can keep on analyze The Great Gatsby, the same I can with The Perks of Being a Wallflower!

I was sceptical about this one. I thought it was another one of these "it is so hard to be a teenager"-books (I don't normally like those), but actually it was without being it also. Charlie is a positive person and says some really sad things, without even know it himself (which sometimes made it funny). And that is one of the elements, that makes it a good book-club book. 

I really found it enjoyable to read a sentence and know that what I read, has another meaning. Nothing is a coincidence! It has many depths. I mean, the books Charlie reads has a meaning! He never tell us the meaning, he just mentions the titles here and there, so I have enjoyed to analyse the meaning. 

Charlie is a different character, but I still felt some things I could relate to him - e.g. the feeling of being a part of a group. I knew what he was talking about.

This book was one of my biggest positive surprises I have had in all my time with a book.

It deserves a high rank!

#3

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4½ stars - Yahya Hassan written by Yahya Hassan in 2013.

This is a collections of poems from a Palestinian immigrant in Denmark. Poems are not very popular in Denmark, but there was a gigantic hype because of this. The poems a written in CAPITAL LETTERS and are about Yayha Hassan's life as immigrant, criminal and his hard childhood with an abusive father. The biggest hype there was, was his critic about Islam. Either people in Denmark hate him or love him.

I hate his personality - he is provoking just to be provoking, if you ask me - but I really like a lot of his poems. I do not like poems, so that in itself is an achievement. Some of his poems made me cry.

And I respect him for bringing a topic on the debate. Because of some earlier crises with criticizing Islam, we in Denmark have started to be a bit scared to say anything bad about it, because we are afraid of the reactions from the Muslims and Yayha Hassan has also had to pay the prize for publishing this - he's got death-threats, so now he is protected by bodyguards and also some other things.

I respect he dares. Not saying Islam is bad - of course it is not, but there a good and bad sides of every religion. 

His rhythm is a bit weird, but original. I would recommend this to every Dane!

He put some thoughts into my head for a very long time, and for that he gets to be number 3 on my rank. 

#2

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5 stars - Howl's Moving Castle written by Diana Wynne Jones in 1986.

#1 in the series of the same name.

This book has a special place in my heart. I read this the first time last year 2013 and when I read the second this year, I just had to reread it again, and I am sure it will not be the last time I'll read it again! 

If you think the anime movie is great, then you will find the book supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (wrong movie, but when in need of a better word, this is perfect!). The language is authentic to the old classic fairy-tales and you really get the "Once upon a time"-feeling. It is witty and I do love the characters so much. They are all funny in their own way (although Calcifer and Howl beat the others). 

I love everything about it! It might be my all-time favorite children's book.

Definitely a top 2 book!

#1

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5 stars - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen written by Paul Torday in 2006.

Okay... I seriously love this book! I did not expect that, but I do. The themes are countless: integrity, terrorism, identity, faith, science, politic, religion, middle-east/europe, war and soldiers, marriage in crisis and, not to forget, love. All these themes can be related to salmons... SALMONS!!? This author has a way of thinking that is unique and absolutely brilliant!
I loved it by the first pages, and it was really a turn-pages book.

Not only Torday's way of thinking is unique, his narration style is too!

You see, the book's narration is not traditionel. This is supposed to be actually proofs. There are diaries excerpt, mail korrespondance (for example between Al-Quada members), unpublished autobiographic excerpts, articels, manuscript for a televison-show and so on and so on. But the diaries excerpts actually give you a feeling, that you are reading a real book, with dialogues and all that kind of stuff. It may not be the first book, using this style, but it felt unique and original.
The humor is fantastic! I love how stupid Peter Maxwell is and I love the email korrespondance between dr. and mrs. Jones.
The ending was a REALLY suprise! Even if you have seen the movie, you will be suprised. I mean it!
All in all one of the most original, funny and greatest books I have read for a long time!
I know people will think "Salmon? Serously? That sounds boring!"

Y-O-U A-R-E W-R-O-N-G!!!!

This is really my favorite book - not only for the year - of all time!! 

Every separate argument I have given for the following 9 books can all be used again in this book. It was hard to choose the following books place on the list, but this one wasn't a hard one at all! I knew this would be my number 1!

Those were my best readings of the year! I am looking for the next year.

Happy New Year and good luck!

Well, it is christmas glory and that means a christmas story

Nah! Just kidding, not going to rhyme my review.
No, but seriously it is christmas and here in Denmark we open our presents the 24th at christmas EVE! So... My christmas has almost reached its end. 
So today I am enjoying the rest of the christmas with movies and I saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
In Denmark Dr. Seuss is not well known. We have learned about Dr. Seuss thanks to the movies. So when I saw the movie, I wanted to try the book.
It is very short, but it is also a children's picture book. I like the rhymes. Normally I stink at getting the rhythm of poems, but here I found it easy.

I like the pictures - they don't look like that in the movie though, which I think is weird, that the movie isn't authentic. I have the impression that Dr. Seuss' characters is just as holy as Peter Rabbit or so.
Well, it is adorable and I understand why it is a classic in America! I do think I will introduce Dr. Seuss to my future children.

Well, that was a short review, on a story you already knew. 

Merry Christmas to the lot and the few!

Lost and Found by Brooke Davis, page 5,

Two teenage boys from Jehovah's Witness have been kidnapped back in 1996. Only by hard work and creativity, it succeeds the eldest to send a cry for help. A bottle message written in blood is found six years later in Scotland, forgotten again and after 13 years the two boys were kidnapped it will end at Detective Carl Mørck from the Danish Police in Deparment Q - the department for old cases. 

After many years in the water the message is almost vanished and only the danish word for HELP and the letter P is clearly visuable. 

Can it be a pratical joke from some kids or has it more into it?

While Carl investigates the case, horror will meet him and soon he will found out that the kidnapper is still active. 

Flaskepost fra P is a crime/thriller by one of the most famous Danish authors Jussi Adler-Olsen written in 2009

Directly translated the title would be Bottle Message from P, but the official title is A Conspiracy of Faith or just Redemption. Yeah, there are apparently problems with the name. Because of my dramatic taste I will be sticking to A Conspiracy of Faith.

Anyway, A Conspiracy of Faith is the third book of the series Department Q (At least they agree with that name!)

I don't read a lot of crime/thriller but I do love this series because the characters!

Carl Mørck is the main character and of course the hero. He is a grumpy middle-aged inspector who nobody wants to work with. Therefore he gets his own department with a Syrian cleaning man, Assad, who unofficial works as Carl's partner in investigation, and a punk secretary, Rose, with a bad temper. This odd group have had success with the new department but things are still the same. Carl's ambition for the tomorrow will be and almost always be; to put his feet on the table and take a long nap until he can go home again. 

Even so, Carl is good with his work and has a nose for things others don't see. 

But what makes Carl my favorite character is his grumpy, dry sarcasm. He is so funny I often laugh out loud! And Assad with his bad Danish can also be quite funny. 

Actually Jussi is just a funny author! The narration is probably on of the best - because he writes about a lot of tragic things, such as terrible childhood traumas and in the first book he wrote a point of view from a victim of a terrible abusive kidnap, but then you get to Carl's point of view it gets light and funny again. 

I really love how the narration always changes point of views. It is always a third person narrator, but you still get into the head of e.g. the kidnapper or one of the victim or someone else. You get to understand the kidnapper - know his history from his point of view. It feels authentic and it is dynamic to the plot. 

The reason I "only" will give it 4 ½ star is because in the two previews books as you go further into the plot the more is revealed. Normally I would get a wow-I-did-not-see-that-coming-feeling, but I didn't here. I new what kind of man the kidnapper was from the beginning. The only wow I felt was actually a revealing secret of the secretary Rose, 

I miss a plot twist!

So it was "only" 4 ½ star. All in all it was funny, exciting and horrifying in the good way. If you love Scandinavian thrillers then try Adler-Olsen and be amazed!

Another year is coming to its end! Which only means one thing: READING CHALLENGE!!

I have looked at my reading list this year and I have found out, that I almost only read children's book this year! Children's book are great, expecially those that can be read by every age! 

And the year before I almost only read romance and classic, which is also great! (And a lot of them were actually children's classic) 

The conclusion is that I'm sticking to the same genres! 

And I am going to do something about it with my new reading challenge!

Every month I hope to read 3 books and end up with 36 books at the end of the year and every month I have 2 categories which I have to read.

I have constructed (with hammer and other tools!) my reading challenge 2015 to be like this - enjoy and copy if you like!

January: Historical Fiction and Cultural

February: Romance and Chick-Lit

Marts: Classic Fantasy and Paranormal YA

April: Humor and Tragedy

May: Classic before 20^th Century and Classic from 20^th Century

June: On Hold and Reread

July: Dystopia and Crime/Thriller

August: Contemporary and Published this Year

September: Manuscript and Diary

October: Danish Author and Foreign Author

November: Made into a Movie and Not Made into a Movie

December: Children and Christmas

Looking forward to it!

And I have already found my next two books for January:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen will be my Historical Fiction book and The Help by Kathryn Stockett as my Cultural book. I know The Help actually belongs to both categories but naaaaaah! It's hard to find books that doesn't belong to both categories after my opinion!

So this is my reading challenge and my choice for January! 

Hoping for a good year to all and merry christmas!!